Fishing rod holders are utilized in both recreational and commercial settings to enable the user to have one or more fishing rods in use at any given time, without the necessity of physically holding the rod, while waiting for a fish to strike. Fishing rod holders are generally utilized on the shorelines of streams and rivers, or on sandy beaches. The holder is driven into the ground to a sufficient depth so that the holder will have sufficient purchase to enable it to support and to hold a weighty fishing pole in a secure manner, in an upright manner from the ground.
The necessity for holding securely the fishing rod in a secure manner is especially important when a large fish strikes the hook and takes the bait. In such a circumstance, the fishing rod can become dislodged inadvertently from the fishing rod holder, or the holder can be pulled out of the ground, such as a sandy bank, inadvertently by the force of the fish pulling on the fishing line.
For these reasons, typical conventional holders have utilized a single pointed wire prong for insertion into the ground. In this regard, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,275,928; 2,512,151; 2,971,735 and 3,411,231.
The prong does not provide, for some applications, an adequate amount of firm support for the fishing rod during use. In this regard, the prong tends to be dislodged from the ground by a force applied to the fishing rod by a fish, or by the weight of the rod. Also, the flimsy wire prong can be bent or dislodged under the weight of the fishing rod itself. Due to the fact that the foregoing patents disclose wire prongs for anchoring the holder to the ground, such devices tend to slip out of the ground, when force is applied to them by the rod, and such force may be sufficient to pry the smooth wire prong out of the ground. This problem is compounded when a large, vigorous fish pulls on the fishing line.
In an attempt to overcome the deficiencies of the single wire prong support, a pair of pointed wire prongs have been employed. In this regard, reference may be made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,137,645 and 3,956,846. However, the aforementioned deficiencies of a single pointed wire, are not adequately overcome by utilizing two such wires. This is due, in some cases, to the fact that dual prongs do not provide appreciably greater purchase than a single wire prong and, generally, do not avoid the problems of inadvertent dislodgement, and/or bending or breaking of the wires.
Thus, in view of the deficiencies in conventional holders, it would be advantageous to have a fishing rod holder for holding securely a fishing rod in an upright manner from the ground. Such a support should be capable of being firmly anchored to the ground, either soil or sand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,838 avoids the deficiencies of support prongs by providing a stake member for insertion into the ground. However, the fishing rod holder disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,838 requires an additional support member to hold the fishing rod holder in place. In addition, it requires the fishing rod to be engaged by two different portions of the holder. In this regard, it is awkward to remove the fishing rod from the holder during use. Since the top edge of the stake is configured to engage a portion of the fishing rod, it is difficult to drive the stake into hard ground, because the top edge can not be readily hit with a tool, such as a hammer.
Thus, it would be very desirable to have a fishing rod holder which can be firmly anchored in the ground, and which can be conveniently driven into the ground, by a tool, such as a hammer.
Also, such a holder should be capable of supporting the rod in such a manner that it can be quickly and easily attached to the holder.
In this regard, when a fish takes the bait and pulls on the fishing line, the user should be able to remove the rod from the holder in a fast and convenient manner, so that the fishing rod can be manipulated to retrieve the fish. If awkward manipulations are required to free the rod from the holder, the fish could escape inadvertently.
Even though the rod should be easily removable, it must be retained securely in place on the holder to insure that a fish pulling on the line does not dislodge the rod from the holder. Additionally, such a new and improved holder should be simple in design, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
Because of user preferences and, sometimes, the type of fishing involved, fishing rods vary significantly in their characteristics such as length, diameter and weight. For example, the handle ends or handles of conventional fishing rods may have a diameter ranging from 3/4 inch to approximately an inch and a quarter. In this regard, while prior known supports utilizing bent wire or sleeve-type rod holders, may be suitable for some applications, such supports have limited utility because of a lack of adaptability for supporting rods having different sizes and shapes. Further, while such limited utility might be realized for straight handle fishing rods, conventional rod holders are frequently not adapted to support pistol grip rods. Thus, it would be highly advantageous to provide a fishing rod holder which is capable of supporting rods having different sizes and shapes in a secure manner, including rods having pistol grips, especially if such a holder is provided without any necessity for adjustment. Also, such a new and improved holder should be able to position the rod in a number of different orientations to permit a reel on the rod to be positioned in a freely operative manner.
Another consideration with regard to fishing rod holders during the fishing operation, it is oftentimes desirable to maintain the fishing rod at an angle to the horizontal of approximately 45 degrees. Such an angle permits clearance of the fishing line over objects such as boulders or tree limbs, between the user and the water. In addition, the angle provides for the maintenance of a desired tension on the fishing line.
Conventional fishing rod supports frequently lack the structural strength to maintain the fishing rod at such a desired angle. Moreover, prior known holders frequently require an adjusting mechanism to lock the support at a predetermined angle. Such an angle adjusting mechanism can slip or otherwise malfunction during use, thereby decreasing the chances of the user in successfully catching a fish. In this regard, it would be very desirable to provide a fishing rod support which would position the rod at a desired angle in a secure manner, without any need for adjustment of the support.
Other considerations with regard to fishing rod holders relate to their storage when not in use, and to their ability to be transported to and from the fishing site. It is clear that a fishing rod support having a sharp-pointed prong or stake of substantial length for anchoring a fishing rod holder securely in the ground, can be dangerous when not in use. The length of the prong or stake, however, would present difficulties during storage and transportation of the support. Thus, for safety and convenience, it would be very desirable to have a fishing rod holder capable of anchoring a fishing rod securely in the ground during use, and yet be readily transported or stored, when not in use.